ITS KIND OF A FUNNY STORY BY: NED VIZZINI Alexandra HGs Wiki
The title and author, and the reasons why you ended up choosing this particular book
The name of the book I chose is Its Kind of a Funny Story , by Ned Vizzini, one of the best and inspiring books I have read lately. I remember when I went to the book store to get it and I thought, "How am I supposed to know what kind of book will not be boring, will be good to write essays on, and be appropriate for English class?" So, I picked out the colorful book with the pretty font. I thought if it has a cool cover it couldn’t be too boring. Well I was right. I began reading and it is about a teenage boy named Craig, who is going through what many teenagers are going through, depression and anxiety disorders. To me this made the book very relatable and I wanted to keep reading because it felt like what was happening was something that I saw most days and heard about very often.
•The genre the book fits into. (This means the category, like young adult fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, vampire fiction, etc. Many books fit into more than one genre. Why does the book fit the genres you claim it does? (200 words)
The genre of the book I read is realistic fiction, something that could happen but did not actually happen. Some realistic topics could be depression, being under the influence, and having troubles with high school. All of the topics present themselves in the novel forming Its Kind of a Funny Story into a realistic fiction novel. Being under the influence is how Craig’s cycle of his crazy life begins. Today many teenagers are under the influence with pot and drinking just like Craig was, making this novel relatable for people who are under the influence. This novel in particular is also giving hope to them if they are struggling. 1 in 33 teens has depression. In the novel Craig is the 1 in 33 with it. This book is also relatable for those teens feeling down and depressed. It can easily give you the courage to seek help like Craig does and make your situation a lot better over time. The next relatable topic is high school. In the story Craig stressed himself out over first getting into the “in” high school and the stress and pressure is too much. Lots of kids across the nation can easily say they feel pressure from school and this novel, however is not a good example for how to deal with stress but a very real situation that people can relate to through Craig’s eyes.
•At least one section of summary of the plot (but don’t tell the end!).
Craig is a teenage boy living in New York facing struggles such as depression and anxiety in his every day life. Because of these disadvantages he can rarely hold down food and had the urge to want to commit suicide everyday. However, Craig did not start out that way. Everyone gets where they are for some reason whether it be fate or choice. In this scenario it happens to be choice. These choices include pot smoking, alcohol drinking, and losing hope. Life is a cycle and Craig’s cycle began by being offered to smoke pot and not accepting. Eventually he began smoking a drinking under the influence of his close friend. His parents paid a lot of money for him to go to therapy. He went to numerous psychologists and was prescribed many medications to help him. Through the process of going to the different psychologists he was never completely honest about his pot smoking he just would go in and say he was depressed. They say honesty is the best policy and in Craig’s situation it really would have been. After lots of psychologists helping and him lying he ended up on a medicine called Zoloft. Craig started to get a lot better. He could hold down more food. He also felt a lot better and not as depressed. Once Craig saw his improvement he stopped taking his medicine and he did not tell anyone. Sure enough his symptoms came back. He could not keep down his dinner one night and his mom let him sleep in her bedroom with her. Little did she know Craig was planning on running away in the middle of the night, riding to the Brooklyn Bridge, and jumping off to kill himself. But before he left a book caught his eye that said if you feel like harming yourself right now turn to page 20. Sure enough Craig flipped to that page. It told him that there are suicide hotlines that can be found in the yellow pages under the government services. When he called they told him to admit himself to the hospital. He did and was then sent to a medical hospital. The story does not end here. Will Craig get better in the mental hospital or will he continue to be depressed and suffer from anxiety?
•A section discussing three characters. Not just what they do, but who they are, with quotes to support what you say about them. Use quotes from the book when describing characters. (500 words total min,)
The novel Its Kind of a Funny Story revolves around the life of a teenager named Craig who lives in New York City. He is trying to get into an elite high school and has been studying his SAT book for what seems like years just to get in. During the process of studying all the time Craig becomes stressed. To pay off for all of his hard work he does make it into this top-notch school. Going to a new school involves making new friends and learning how to adjust. Craig’s first “best friend” was named Aaron. They have been friends ever since Craig can remember. They became friends on the first day of their old school. When Craig was walking through the cafeteria with his head buried in flash cards and Aaron asks, “Want to come over and watch movies?”Pg.54. When Craig arrived at Aaron’s small apartment next to city hall he walked into Aarons room to be greeted with, “Hey want to smoke some pot?”pg.54. Craig denied the offer but would soon snap and fall under peer pressure. Since, that was around a year ago in the novel we are going to fast-forward to when Craig found out he had just been accepted to his new school. “What up son? Did you get in?!” Aaron said. “Yeah.” Craig replied. “Alriiiight!” Aaron shouted. To celebrate his accomplishment Craig is then influenced to bring Scotch to Aarons house to “celebrate.” That night Craig has too much to drink and passes out in Aaron’s living room. When everyone at the party has woken up from their hangover the only people that were left at Aaron’s was Craig and Aaron's new girlfriend named Nia. Aaron thought it would be nice for all of them to go on a walk the next day and hang out. They took a walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. They walk to the middle of the bridge and look over. On either side of them cars rushed past. “I don’t know if it was real” Aaron said. “I want to stand over the water” Craig said. Sure enough Aaron and Craig walk out on the pathways built onto the top of the trussing places for the bridge workers to be able to reach cables to replace them. Craig walked out in front all the way to the edge of the plane of pathway. Aaron yelled, “What are you doing?” Crag replied, “It’ll just take a minute.” There are some things in life and you can only get this certain ultimate feeling when you do these things. For Craig this was a place where he could think out in the open and fell free and away from everything. That is why a few months down the road from this adventurous day with Aaron and Nia Craig planned a suicide attempt. He planned on leaving his house in the middle of the night and riding his bike to the Brooklyn Bridge and then jumping off. Will Craig follow through on his plan? Read the book to find out….
However, this paper was to describe the main characters in the novel I read. The dialogue that you just read is an example of who these characters truly are. Craig for example is the average teenager who feels like no one understands and can help him. He feels the only way to solve his problem is to commit suicide. When I read in the book the few chapters over when he was planning his suicide attempt I felt like I understand why some kids feel the way they do about suicide. People make assumptions that teens smoke and do pot to get attention when those teens just feel that it is the only way out. I almost wish I could have yelled at Craig in the story and told him that there was so many other options besides the things he thought would solve his problems. Aaron however is the converse of Craig through my eyes. Metaphorically this is like the girl who wears a lot of makeup to get attention and the girl who wears a lot of makeup because she feels ugly. Aaron is the one who smokes pot and drinks to get attention. He thinks that maybe his mother who does not pay enough attention to him will finally pay attention if he gets caught doing something unforgiveable. Realistically it is not his fault his parents don’t pay enough attention to him and he is crying out for help.
•At least one section discussing themes and “big ideas” found in the book. Avoid retelling the plot. (250 words min.)
Different novels have different meanings to different people. For me I personally like novels that send out a message. Usually something inspiring. In the novel It’s Kind of a Funny Story there are a few main ideas and themes that makes this book have a special meaning to me. This book mainly deals with the ideas of mental health, in particular depression and inspiration. The novel deals with how depression makes people feel and how when you have it you view yourself. This novel shows you that you honestly do not view yourself the same way others do. Sure you can smile but on the inside if you're not happy then what’s the point of going on with your life. Sometimes you just have to stop for a minute and catch up with yourself and deal with your problems. In the novel the main character is snapping under pressure and feeling ignored. Whenever you are having a hard time with things like depression the best thing you can do is go to a therapist for help. Once you start going they can help you talk about your feelings and will most likely allow you to deal with your problems. In the novel the main character will turn his life around. The inspirational theme of the novel would be how even though you are depressed, and have anxiety, and it seems like no one cares you can still turn your life around and be perfectly happy. This book is very encouraging to me and I am sure lots of other people and this is why I enjoyed reading it so much.
•At least one section of discussion of a major conflict or problem in the story. (250 words min.
Anxiety disorders, depression, and pot/drinking problems are very serious conflicts in many peoples every day lives. Those conflicts also pertain to Its Kind of a Funny Story. Anxiety is a feeling of worry or nervousness. Over 40 million people just in the US suffer from having to deal with anxiety in their every day lives. This is a larger conflict in the book for the main character Craig. His anxiety disorder stresses him out which makes him have the urge to smoke. When he smokes he starts to feel depressed. Depression is a condition of someone who has a lack of energy and has little interest in life. Craig’s depression leads him to not being able to do as well in school and such. Then Craig will start to have anxiety because he is not doing well. Then when he has anxiety he will start to smoke and drink again. This book has a cycle. This cycle is also the main conflict. It is the main conflict because this cycle never seems to end for Craig. In the book or in the real world a bad cycle that never seems to end is a major conflict. However, Drinking and smoking pot lone are conflicts worth enough of writing about. Smoking pot is addicting and illegal to say the least. If Craig or his friends got caught doing so he would have been arrested making his depression much, much whose. Drinking under age is a horrible idea also. It is illegal if under the age 21 they could have easily been caught and arrested for under age drinking.The main conflict is between Craig and himself good versus evil and right versus wrong. •An symbolic image that YOU CREATE that fits an aspect of the book, with an explanation of the symbolic connection. (100 words min.) This could be anything from a scanned drawing to a photograph you've taken, a video you made, anything visual and original.
The book as a whole symbolizes a rainy day and a rainbow after it rains. The rain symbolizes the pot smoking; scotch drinking, and depressing emotions. The rainbow represents when Craig gets medicine for his anxiety, goes to the mental hospital, and when he gets better at the end. When it rains outside it is usually dark and gloomy looking. Like Craig’s life was when he was under the influence, dark and gloomy. The rainbow represents the good things that happen because rainbows represent good luck. Many people who are under the influence never get help and continue to get worse. That is why I chose the rainbow to represent the happy parts in this story. After it rains there is not always a rainbow just like after someone is under the influence for a while they don’t always stop smoking/drinking.
•Five new or unusual words (not character or place names) you found in the story, the example sentence in which you found them, and YOUR definition.
“All I know is the chronology.” Chronology is the arrangement of dates or events in the order of their occurrence.
“I’m going to need a boyfriend going in, to give me some stability.” Stability means that someone or something is built firmly and is firm.
“Inexplicably, someone came in a batman mask.” Inexplicably means you are not cannot be explained or accounted for.
“A short, pugnacious, mustached kid named Ronny came with a backpack full of pot and set up shop in the living room.” Pugnacious means someone is eager to argue or fight.
“It must have been a placebo effect, but it was a great placeboeffect.” Placebo is a hamrless pill that has a physcological benefit for patients.
•At section discussing existing works (such as art, literature, music, film) that have similar qualities as the story you read. What other works does this book remind you of? (250 words min.)
The novel Its Kind of a Funny Story reminds me of the movie The Back up Plan. The Back up Plan features Jennifer Lopez (Jalo) playing a mid aged woman who needs an instant change in her life. She felt she was going to be single forever and in her mid life crisis decided she wanted a baby. She goes to a doctor to solve her problem. Weeks later she took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. She was crushed and believed she was not pregnant. A few weeks later she met a guy who would soon become her boyfriend. After they had been dating a while it turned out that she was pregnant with twins. He believed they were his but Jalo knew they possibly could not be his children. When she found at they weren’t her boyfriend’s children she knew the right thing to do would be confront him. He was furious not because they weren’t his but because she did not tell him the truth. In the end he stayed and raised twins that were not his and treated them as his own. You are probably reading this and thinking how does a story about a pregnant lady have anything to do with a teen-age pothead in a mental hospital. Well Jalo and main character Craig have more than you would think in common. They both had a problem and tried to fix it. Craig’s problem was anxiety and he smoked pot and drank alcohol. Jalo was having a mid life crisis and decided to fix her problem by getting pregnant. When they were both confronted neither of them told the truth. Jalo lied about getting pregnant artificially and Craig denied doing drugs. The cure for both situations was coming clean and telling the truth. Craig decided to check himself into a mental hospital and Jalo decided to tell her boyfriend that the twins were not his children. In the end of both stories they ended up happy. For the main idea of both movies/novels was that if you face your problems and deal with them you will end up with a happily ever after ending.
•At section discussing existing works (such as art, literature, music, film) that have similar qualities as the story you read. What other works does this book remind you of? (250 words min.)
BY: NED VIZZINI
Alexandra HGs Wiki
- The title and author, and the reasons why you ended up choosing this particular book
The name of the book I chose is Its Kind of a Funny Story , by Ned Vizzini, one of the best and inspiring books I have read lately. I remember when I went to the book store to get it and I thought, "How am I supposed to know what kind of book will not be boring, will be good to write essays on, and be appropriate for English class?" So, I picked out the colorful book with the pretty font. I thought if it has a cool cover it couldn’t be too boring. Well I was right. I began reading and it is about a teenage boy named Craig, who is going through what many teenagers are going through, depression and anxiety disorders. To me this made the book very relatable and I wanted to keep reading because it felt like what was happening was something that I saw most days and heard about very often.• The genre the book fits into. (This means the category, like young adult fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, vampire fiction, etc. Many books fit into more than one genre. Why does the book fit the genres you claim it does? (200 words)
• An symbolic image that YOU CREATE that fits an aspect of the book, with an explanation of the symbolic connection. (100 words min.) This could be anything from a scanned drawing to a photograph you've taken, a video you made, anything visual and original.
“I’m going to need a boyfriend going in, to give me some stability.” Stability means that someone or something is built firmly and is firm.
“Inexplicably, someone came in a batman mask.” Inexplicably means you are not cannot be explained or accounted for.
“A short, pugnacious, mustached kid named Ronny came with a backpack full of pot and set up shop in the living room.” Pugnacious means someone is eager to argue or fight.
“It must have been a placebo effect, but it was a great placeboeffect.” Placebo is a hamrless pill that has a physcological benefit for patients.